The first of those trials of drug checking in Australia was conducted at the Groovin’ the Moo music festival in 2018, by a group that came to be known as Pill Testing Australia (PTA). The story of how that happened is discussed elsewhere (here) but “how” we do it is a matter of record. […]

A long-term heroin user says injecting rooms save lives and the Victorian government has put politics above the health and safety of citizens by scrapping a second injecting centre in Melbourne. […]

Associate Professor Vicki Sentas from UNSW Law & Justice says policing outside the Domain Dance party, the Mardi Gras after party and the closing ceremony Rainbow Republic during World Pride events in 2023 was characterised by invasive questioning of patrons, a dubious use of drug detection dog patrols, humiliating and potentially unlawful searches, and instances of use of force. […]

A proposed safe injecting room to be based in Melbourne’s CBD has been rejected by the Victorian government, which claimed it could not find an appropriate location for it. […]

Australia is one of the most lucrative markets in the world for methamphetamines. In the year to August 2023, the country smoked, snorted and shot up about 10 and a half tonnes of the stuff — a 17 per cent increase on the year before, and more than double the amount of cocaine. […]

At least 36 people were arrested at an annual pro-cannabis picnic at Melbourne’s Flagstaff Gardens. The rally in the city’s CBD aims to raise awareness for the legalisation of cannabis, and occurs annually on April 20 or 4/20. Recreational use of which is banned in all Australian states. […]

Some experts, like Professor Jennifer Schumann from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, want to see pill testing introduced more widely, especially at music festival venues where there’s been a recent spate of fatal overdoses. […]

Managed by Pill Testing Australia, the event-based service at the festival drew in 257 festival-goers over the course of four days, offering crucial information about the substances they intended to consume. Pill Testing Australia medical lead David Caldicott hailed the festival a success and estimated drug samples from close to 10 percent of festival goers were tested by the service.…

The Pill Testing Australia clinical lead David Caldicott said it was hard to know if the clinic saved lives in 2024, but pointed to the lack of a need for paramedics as a win for safety. […]

“The success of QLD’s first pill testing service at the multi-day festival Rabbits Eat Lettuce (REL) would not have been possible without the leadership team”, comprising of Professor Malcolm McLeod (Chemistry Lead), Dr David Caldicott (Medical Lead) and Dr Penny Hill (Data Officer), said PTA’s Executive Officer Steph Tzanetis, who was the onsite Service Manager. […]